UNews - Nicole Eva

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge joins the Little Lethbridge Library movement

caroline.zentner — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 21:44:51 +0000

Reading material for all ages is now available at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, as several Little Lethbridge Libraries have made their appearance on campus.

Thanks to Dr. Andy Hakin, provost and vice-president (academic), six little libraries, three indoors and three outdoors, will soon be installed and their shelves ready for books. The City of Lethbridge teamed up with the Ability Resource Centre to build and maintain the little libraries. The little library movement has grown across the country and when Hakin first heard about it, he knew he wanted to get involved.

At right, Jerry Firth, neighbourhood support co-ordinator with the City of Lethbridge, and Kimber Norbury-Sulin, services co-ordinator with the Ability Resource Centre, joined Nicole Eva (centre), U of L librarian, Heather Mirau, U of L integrated planning director, and Dr. Andy Hakin, U of L provost and vice-president (academic), at the installation of the first Little Lethbridge Library in the Atrium.

“The little free library movement based on the theme of “Take a book, leave a book” is perfect for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ campus,” says Hakin. “It’s a way to further engage with community members coming to campus for sporting events, speaker series and conferences. It’s wonderful that we can share and promote reading on campus with our ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and local communities through the Little Lethbridge Library program. This program is also a way of promoting general reading within our ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library. I would like to personally invite everyone to enjoy this supplemental reading.”

The three interior little libraries have already been installed — one in the 1st Choice Savings Centre, another near Starbucks in the LINC building, and the final indoor library in the Atrium.

An outdoor little library will soon be installed by the bus loop by the Students’ Union Building and others will be installed near the Campus Roots Community Garden and Anderson Hall next spring.

The Lethbridge Public Library and the U of L Library have supplied the first books for the little libraries on campus. Books are already being scooped up and everyone is encouraged to donate general reading material for children, teens or adults. Books can be delivered to the U of L Library, Room L1142. Representatives from the Lethbridge Ability Resource Centre will check on the little libraries weekly.

Student stress takes a holiday

trevor.kenney — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 21:24:54 +0000

The Stress-Free Zone is back at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library.

From Sunday, Dec. 9 through Sunday, Dec. 16, room L1114 will be stocked with healthy snacks, coffee, tea, movies, puzzles and games for our students to utilize.

Students are welcome to enter the Stress-Free Zone between 6 and 10 p.m. each evening to refuel and have some fun. This service is provided at no cost to students, and is just one of the many ways that the library actively attempts to improve the student experience.

Library personnel are keenly aware that as final exams approach, students experience increased levels of stress and anxiety. In 2009, professional librarian Nicole Eva noticed an opportunity for the library to help students alleviate their stress while preparing for finals and implemented the Stress-Free Zone.

Many students congregate in the library during final exam periods to use the resources and available spaces and to take advantage of increased library hours (the library is open until 11 p.m. each night from Nov. 26 through Dec. 17). Eva realized that the library was a natural place to provide a service like the Stress-Free-Zone because of its operating hours and its heavy use by students. Three years and six Stress-Free-Zones later, the library is still offering a stress-free environment for students, who have consistently and enthusiastically given positive feedback about the service.

A collaboration of resources from across the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ makes the Stress-Free Zone successful. Library Administration, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union and Sodexo combine resources to offer students free refreshments and a place to relax. The Alumni Association generously provides a prize for a raffle. The Career Resource Centre, Health Centre and Writing and Counseling Services support the event by providing their valuable print resources.

The result is a welcoming, stress-free environment for students where they need it, when they need it. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library thanks everyone involved for making this initiative a continued success.

This story first appeared in the December 2012 issue of the Legend. For a look at the entire issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Library is into pop fiction

trevor.kenney — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:42:57 +0000

Soon, you'll be able to get more than just academic reads at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library.

The library is planning to set up a leisure reading section on level 10, purchasing a selection of best-selling fiction books that will be displayed on a revolving shelf alphabetically by author. As well, comfortable chairs will be moved from elsewhere in the library to create a cozy, relaxing area.

"As part of constantly improving the whole student experience, we felt that there was a place for a popular fiction collection in the library in addition to the scholarly materials," says Nicole Eva, co-chair of the Student Outreach Team. "This has been done in other universities with great response; students want to be able to access fun reading materials when they take a break from their schoolwork."

Eva adds that the addition of a leisure section is partly in response to student queries.

"We have often had requests for fiction materials, and while we certainly do carry some fiction as part of our regular collection – for example, literature studied in English classes – these books aren't always easily located," she says. "Now, we will have a dedicated area where some light reading can be found, and a comfortable area in which to enjoy it."

The books will be listed in the library catalogue just like all of the other library-owned materials, and can be found by title, author or location. The plan is to have this area ready for the start of the fall term, meaning library staff will be busy ordering and cataloguing the materials over the summer. Be sure to stop by and check out the new area in the fall!

This story first appeared in the Legend. To view the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Library is into pop fiction

trevor.kenney — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 20:13:58 +0000

Soon, you'll be able to get more than just academic reads at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
Library.

Eva adds that the addition of a leisure section is partly in response to student queries.

This story first appeared in the Legend. To view the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Library looks to engage with students

trevor.kenney — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:15:34 +0000

PechaKucha was introduced to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge campus recently as the U of L Library's Student Engagement Team (SET) hosted a PechaKucha event as part of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's International Week.

Seven presenters, including faculty, staff and one international student, spoke on internationally-themed topics ranging from a winter road trip to Alaska to anthropological field work in Indonesia.

The Student Engagement Team was formed in the fall of 2010 to provide leadership within the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library on all services and activities that support the strategic direction of enhancing the student experience. The group is interested in finding new ways to engage students both academically and socially.

"When the International Centre for Students asked us to be a part of International Week we were eager to participate," says event organizer Heather Nicholson.

She adds that SET was particularly interested in finding an activity that would engage international students. Nicholson and SET co-chair Nicole Eva had read about PechaKucha and were looking for an opportunity to put it into practice.

PechaKucha, a term derived from the Japanese word for chit-chat, is a simple presentation format where 20 images are shown for 20 seconds each. The images forward automatically while a presenter speaks to them. The presentation style was developed by two architects in Tokyo in 2003 who wanted to provide a space and an opportunity for designers to share new ideas, but in a fast-paced and entertaining format. Since 2004, PechaKucha events have been spreading to other cities around the world. Currently there are regular PechaKucha nights running in more than 260 cities worldwide on an unlimited number of topics.

While PechaKucha is not well known around Lethbridge, all participants and attendees expressed enthusiasm about the event. One particularly moving presentation was given by ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Librarian Glenna Westwood, who spoke about her emotional voyage to Ghana in May 2010. Westwood and her father (retired U of L professor Bill Cook) made their first return journey to the West African country after spending five years there in the 1970s.

PechaKucha Night is trademarked and run by a global foundation. For more information about PechaKucha visit www.pecha-kucha.org

For a look at the March issue of the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Library focussing on new ideas

trevor.kenney — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 21:40:40 +0000

By NICOLE EVA

If you tried to access the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library on May 4, you would have found the doors locked – and for good reason. Every year at this time, the library closes its doors for a one-day staff retreat. This year, the library administration team brought in speakers from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Victoria, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and Edmonton Public libraries to talk about new initiatives they have recently undertaken that may prove useful here at the U of L.

For example, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Victoria underwent major renovations recently, turning the main floor of the McPherson Library into the C.W. Lui Learning Commons. The idea of a learning commons is one that is catching on in many academic libraries worldwide, as institutions try to better serve the needs of today's students.

For most, it means a change from a collection-centric model of the library to a more learning-centric model – making the library into a central hub of learning on campus. At Victoria, they created partnerships with several other campus units, such as the Writing Centre, Systems, the Teaching & Learning Centre, Career Services, Peer Help and other subject-specific tutoring services, giving them all space in the commons. It thereby makes the area a one-stop shop for students in need of any kind of help, be it research, technological or otherwise.

As well, a media commons was also developed, where students are able to borrow laptop computers, video cameras and other equipment in addition to using multimedia stations where they can create and edit audiovisual projects.

Meanwhile, the Edmonton Public Library (EPL) and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta (U of A) libraries have entered into a unique relationship whereby the EPL has established a satellite branch in one of the libraries on the U of A campus.

Called eplGO, the 1,500 square foot space houses approximately 8,000 high-use materials from the public library, including fiction and non-fiction books, DVDs and CDs which patrons can borrow using their existing U of A library card (on an opt-in basis). The branch has proven to be very popular and has seen high circulation numbers since opening in November 2008.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta has also introduced an integrated service desk model. Rather than having separate reference and circulation desks, the U of A has opted to have one service desk, staffed by both librarians and technicians. This allows library users the ability to ask for research help and check out materials all in one location. It is a concept the U of A has been rolling out at all of its campus libraries and has been well received by students, staff and faculty.

The success of these initiatives provides interesting food for thought for our own operations, as we look to better serve our ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community in the future.

Nicole Eva is a professional librarian in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library

Retreat helps generate ideas for library

trevor.kenney — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:47:12 +0000

If you tried to access the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library on May 4, you would have found the doors locked – and for good reason. Every year at this time, the library closes its doors for a one-day staff retreat. This year, the library administration team brought in speakers from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Victoria, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and Edmonton Public libraries to talk about new initiatives they have recently undertaken that may prove useful here at the U of L.

The success of these initiatives provides interesting food for thought for our own operations, as we look to better serve our ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community in the future.

Nicole Eva is a professional librarian in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library

Library project aimed at reducing stress

trevor.kenney — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:15:59 +0000

Students zonked out from studying in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Library can take a break in a new Stress-Free Zone on Level 11 (L1114).

Nightly, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. until Dec. 21, students can take a break, have a snack, watch a movie, play a game or maybe even get a free massage.

In addition to Library Administration funding, several campus offices have pitched in with information, giveaways, and tips for students on how to be stress-free during exams.

Since the Library is open almost as late as most fast-food restaurants – extended hours run until 11 p.m. during exams – the Stress-Free Zone is an innovative idea that Library staff had only previously read about in U.S.-based library journals.

"We see our students get more and more caught up in the stress of studying as exams start to hit, and the Library is where a large number of them wind up cramming," says Nicole Eva, a Library staff member and the main organizer of the Stress-Free Zone.

"This idea is in place at a number of American universities, and we thought we'd give it a try this year."

The space is decked out with a projection screen TV, games, cards, healthy snacks and, on certain evenings, campus massage therapist Jarvis Larson, who is on hand to deliver short duration massages to students who've been hunched over a computer for hours.

"If this space proves to be a hit with the students, we'll certainly consider it for next term," Eva says. "This is a pilot year for this activity, so feedback and opinions are always welcome."

Visit the Library website to learn more about extended hours and other services available to students: http://www.uleth.ca/lib/
Student Study tips: http://www.uleth.ca/ross/counselling/study_skills_handouts.html

New library databases speak to financial interests

trevor.kenney — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:13:10 +0000

With all the financial turmoil in the news these days, there is heightened interest in the stock market; even those of us less financially-inclined can't help but pay attention to the dire speculations on the news every day.

To that end, two databases the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Library has recently acquired might be of interest to the wider ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community.

The Canadian Financial Markets Research Centre (CFMRC) Summary Information database includes historical Toronto Stock Exchange trading information such as daily and monthly prices and indices, and information on price adjustments such as dividends, stock splits, recapitalizations, etc. up to December 2007.

The database is easy to search by company name or ticker symbol and you can compare more than one company at a time. You might be pleasantly surprised at just how user-friendly it is. It is interesting to see how stocks have performed
historically – perhaps even to console yourself that markets have indeed rebounded in the past, and give some hope for the future.

The Center for Research in Security Prices (CRSP) database works in much the same way, but provides access to the big American exchanges such as NYSE, AMEX and Nasdaq. Here you can find daily and monthly security prices and other historical data related to over 25,000 companies traded on these markets – again, up to December 2007.

To access these databases, go to the library home page (http://www.uleth.ca/lib) and click on Databases by Title in the centre of the screen – you'll see an alphabetical listing of all of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's databases, with both of these listed in the 'C's. You will have to log in with your student/staff ID before being allowed in to these databases.

Note that these databases have licenses which stipulate they be used for academic purposes only – but it is an interesting exercise to see the historical data on these companies.

The databases were purchased by the Faculty of Management (everybody now: THANK YOU!) and the library has provided access through the user-friendly CHASS interface from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto.

So while you won't be able to check how your stocks are doing today, you might be interested in how the market has performed in the past.

Nicole Eva is the management liaison librarian for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Library

UNews - Nicole Eva

��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge joins the Little Lethbridge Library movement

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